THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you.
(Applause.) Thank you very much, Hoss. And thank all of you. It's
great to be back in Nebraska, the chance to visit Offutt Air Force Base
once again. I appreciate all of you taking time out today to let me
come by and say thank you.

I want to thank General George, obviously, the Commander of the 55th
Wing, for hosting me today; and General Cartwright, Commander of the
U.S. Strategic Command, for those kind words of introduction.
(Applause.) There's got to be something okay for a general named Hoss.
(Laughter.) I like that. I also want to recognize Congressman Jeff
Fortenberry, who is with us today. And I'd also like to thank the
Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, the Offutt Advisory Council, the towns of
Papillion, La Platte and Omaha for the support and hospitality you
provide to all of our folks here at Offutt. Thanks, as well, to a
terrific group of musicians -- the Heartland of America Band.
(Applause.)

Above all, I want to thank the hardworking men and women who make Offutt Air Force Base one of the finest military installations in the entire
nation. (Applause.)

I've long admired the work that is done here, and Offutt was one of the
first bases I visited after I became Secretary of Defense back in 1989.
Located in the heart of America, the base is also at the very heart of
America's national security strategy. Twenty-four hours a day, seven
days a week, units housed at Offutt Air Force Base are watching out for
the security of the nation and the people who call it home. Our
military has many superb military assets, but the decisive element is
not equipment but rather courage and character. Your work ethic, your
sense of duty, your deep commitment to our country -- these are the
finest assets we have. So I count it an honor to be in your company,
and I bring good wishes to each and every one of you from our
Commander-in-Chief, President George W. Bush. (Applause.)

I am here today because the President and I want you to know how much we
appreciate everything you do on behalf of the United States. You're
serving in an eventful time for the country, and for the cause of
freedom. Some of the challenges have arisen close to home. Just one
year ago, personnel stationed here joined in the relief effort after the
devastating hurricane. As part of Task Force Katrina, you conducted
surveillance flights, provided security, set up temporary shelter and
field hospitals for relief workers, and brought food and water to
evacuees. You did an outstanding job in an hour of need, and I know the
citizens of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast will never forget what you
did for them.

As we gather today, another anniversary lies just ahead. In less than
two weeks the calendar will again read September 11th -- and our minds
will go back to that day five years ago, when the enemies of our country
struck the homeland with acts of stealth and murder. To stand here at
Offutt Air Force Base is to be reminded of how the world changed on that
terrible morning. This is where President Bush came to direct the
initial response to the attacks, and to conduct an emergency national
security meeting by secure video. It's never a small matter when the
President of the United States arrives on short notice. But that's the
very kind of contingency that Offutt is prepared for -- and the support
you provided to the President on 9/11 was nothing short of superb.

From that day to this, the work carried out by Team Offutt has helped to
sustain the U.S. military in the global war on terror. That war goes
on, and thanks in part to all of you, it's a war we are going to win.
(Applause.)

In the aftermath of the tragedy, President Bush told the nation that the
struggle ahead would be global in nature, that it would be lengthy and
difficult, that it would require our best effort and unfailing resolve.
This is precisely how the war on terror has unfolded. And in this fight
some of the toughest, most urgent duties have come to our men and women
in uniform. Fortunately for America, you've never let us down, and the
nation has an awful lot to be grateful for.

America is grateful to the largest wing in the Air Force Air Combat
Command -- the Fighting Fifty-Fifth. (Applause.) In an age when
enemies view the entire world as battle space, there's no substitute for
real-time, on-scene intelligence. And it's the Rivet Joint aircraft
that ensures American air superiority and global response capability.
At any given time, some 10 percent of the personnel of the 55th are
deployed around the world -- so it's true "the sun never sets on the
Fighting Fifty-Fifth." (Applause.) I especially want to recognize
those who have just returned from their second Global War on Terror
deployment: Thank you for a job well done, and welcome home.
(Applause.)

America is grateful to the U.S. Strategic Command. STRATCOM carries a
heavy responsibility in protecting the people of the United States.
You're the ones we depend on to warn and defend this country against
catastrophic attack, to maintain some of the most critical elements of
our defense arsenal, and to position combat forces far from home.
Across an incredible range of expertise -- intelligence, planning,
targeting, space and information operations -- STRATCOM is helping us to
track enemies and to maintain our edge in a time of testing. You carry
out difficult work with precision, and focus, and a consistent standard
of excellence. All Americans are proud of the men and women of
STRATCOM. (Applause.)

America is grateful, as well, to the Air Force Weather Agency -- keepers
of quality, comprehensive climate data for customers around the world.
And we're grateful to the citizen warriors of the Nebraska Air National
Guard. (Applause.)

In waging the global war on terror, the men and women who wear the
nation's uniform have reminded people everywhere of America's purposes.
For the sake of our own security, and that of our friends, we've
undertaken a lot of serious work in this world. Yet when we use our
military, it's not to conquer, but to liberate. And after we throw back
tyrants, we stand by our friends to ensure that democratic institutions
can take hold, and to help build the freedom that leads to peace in the
long run.

Five years ago Iraq and Afghanistan were both in the grips of violent,
merciless regimes. Now they have democratically-elected governments,
the dictators are gone, and 50 million people are awakening to a future
of hope and freedom. And Americans who return home from that part of
the world can be proud of their service for the rest of their lives.
(Applause.)

We maintain forces in those countries because we're a nation that keeps
its word and because we understand what is at stake in that part of the
world. The terrorists understand it as well. The terrorists know that
as freedom takes hold, the ideologies of hatred and resentment will
weaken, and the advance of free institutions in the broader Middle East
will produce a much safer world for our children and our grandchildren.
The war on terror is a battle for the future of civilization. It's a
battle worth fighting. It's a battle we are going to win. (Applause.)

The terrorists have made Iraq the central front in this war. And we
wage this fight with good allies at our side, including an Iraqi
Security Force growing in size and ability. We'll continue to train the
Iraqi forces so they can defend their own country and make it a source
of stability in an otherwise troubled region. When it comes to our own
troop levels, the President will listen to the recommendations of
commanders on the ground. And he will make the call based on what is
needed for victory, not according to the polls, and not by artificial
timelines set by politicians in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)

In our own country, we take democratic values seriously -- so we always
have a vigorous debate on the issues. That's part of the greatness of
America; we wouldn't have it any other way. But there is a difference
between healthy debate and self-defeating pessimism. We have only two
options in Iraq -- victory or defeat. And I want you to know, as
members of the United States military, that the American people do not
support a policy of retreat or defeat. We want to complete the mission.
We want to get it done right. And we want to return with honor.
(Applause.)

Although we've been in the struggle against terrorism for nearly
five years now, the terrorists were actually at war with this country
long before 2001. And they were the ones on the offensive. Over time,
they came to believe that they could strike America without paying a
price -- because they did so many times in the 1980s and '90s.
Eventually, of course, they hit us here at home on September 11th, 2001.

On September 11th, the American people had a glimpse of the broader
ambitions these enemies want to achieve, as well as the kind of world
they want to create. These enemies pervert a religious faith to serve a
dark political objective -- to establish, by violence and intimidation,
a totalitarian empire that denies all political and religious freedom.
To achieve that vision, the terrorists want to demoralize free nations
with dramatic acts of murder, and to gain weapons of mass destruction so
they can hold power by threat or blackmail. We need not have any
illusions about their ambitions, because the terrorists have stated them
very clearly. They have killed many thousands in many countries. They
would, if able, kill hundreds of thousands more -- and still not be
finished.

This is not an enemy that can be ignored, or negotiated with, or
appeased. And every retreat by civilized nations is an invitation to
further violence against us. Men who despise freedom will attack
freedom in any part of the world -- and so, responsible nations have a
duty to stay on the offensive, together, to remove this threat. We are
working to prevent attacks before they occur, by tracking down the
terrorists wherever they dwell. We are working to deny weapons of mass
destruction to outlaw states and their terrorist allies. And we are
working to prevent any nation from becoming a staging ground for further
terrorist violence. And we are working to deny the terrorists future
recruits, by replacing hatred and resentment with democracy and hope
across the broader Middle East.

The task of protecting America includes, as well, a home front -- and
the home front is every bit as important as the battlefields overseas.
To protect Americans, the President signed the Patriot Act, which is
helping us disrupt terrorist activity, to break up terror cells within
the United States, and to protect the lives of Americans. Another vital
step the President took in the days following 9/11 was to authorize the
National Security Agency to intercept a certain category of
terrorist-linked international communications. There are no
communications more important to the safety of the United States than
those related to al Qaeda that have one end in the United States. If
you'll recall, the report of the 9/11 Commission focused criticism on
our inability to uncover links between terrorists at home and terrorists
abroad. The authorization the President made after September 11th
helped address that problem in a manner that is fully consistent with
the constitutional responsibilities and the legal authority of the
President, and consistent with the civil liberties of the American
people.

As people who know first-hand what this war really involves, you can be
certain of this: The President will not relent in tracking the enemies
of the United States with every legitimate tool in his command. This is
not a war we can win on the defensive. Our only option against these
enemies is to monitor them, to find them, to fight them, and to destroy
them. (Applause.)

I'm afraid that as we get farther away from September 11th, 2001 there
is a temptation to let up in the fight against terror. We're all
grateful that this nation has gone half a decade without another 9/11.
Obviously, no one can guarantee that we won't be hit again. But getting
through almost five years of wartime without an attack on the homeland
took a lot more than luck. We've been protected by sound policy
decisions by the President, by decisive action at home and abroad, and
by round-the-clock efforts on the part of people in the armed forces, in
law enforcement, in intelligence, and homeland security. The enemy that
struck on 9/11 is weakened and fractured, yet still lethal, still
determined to hit us again.

Remember the plot uncovered just this month in the United Kingdom. It
was aimed at U.S. commercial flights headed over the Atlantic. We've
never had a fight like this -- we have a lot more to do before it's
finished. Either we are serious about fighting this war or we are not.
And the enemies of America need to know: We are serious, we will not
let down our guard. (Applause.)

Everywhere I go in this country, I am struck by the depth of gratitude
and admiration that Americans have for the people who serve in our
military. We don't take freedom for granted, because we know that it
came at a price. Many Americans have been decorated for acts of bravery
and superior performance. And we have had to say a last farewell to
some heroic men and women. The families left behind need to know that
their loved ones served in a noble and a necessary cause, and their
sacrifice has made our nation and the world more secure. We will honor
their memory forever. (Applause.)

Ladies and gentlemen, on a Tuesday morning five years ago, the nation we
love experienced one of the cruelest acts the modern world has seen. In
our sorrow we felt inspiration, as we learned of airline passengers who
rose up against hijackers to prevent greater loss, and rescuers who
charged into burning towers and died by the hundreds, and the many
examples of kindness and brotherhood that Americans showed to each other
on one of the worst days in our history.

From that hour of destruction to this very moment, the people and the
government of the United States have answered violence with justice,
honor, and moral courage. America is a good, and decent, and generous
country. The ideals that gave life to this nation are the same ideals
we uphold at home and that we serve abroad. We fight not only to
protect ourselves and to overcome dangers to civilization, but to free
the oppressed, and to give others the chance to decide their own
destiny, so that all of us can one day live in peace on the foundation
of human freedom.

Every day you go on duty, it is to uphold these ideals. Every day you
go on duty, you make this nation safer, and you show the world that the
people who wear this country's uniform are men and women of skill, and
perseverance, and honor. Standing here today, in the great American
heartland, I want to thank each and every one of you for the vital work
you do, and for your example of service and character. It's a privilege
for me to be in your company. You've reflected great credit on your
state and on your country. And you've made your fellow citizens
extremely proud.